16 - Gengoroh Tagame (Japanese, b. 1964)

Gengoroh Tagame (Japanese, b. 1964) Red Silk, 2010. Lithograph. Signed in ink on the bottom left, "Gengoroh Tagame" 17 x 11 in. (43.2 x 27.9 cm) Notes: Gengoroh Tagame is widely considered to be the most influential artist within the contemporary gay manga genre, and he is credited with establishing and popularizing the bear aesthetic within Japan. Beginning his career in the late 1980s, Tagame is influenced by both the art of older Japanese eroticists like Go Mishima and Sadao Hasegawa, as well as the works of many western illustrators like Tom of Finland, Rex, and Bill Ward, who began to see increasing popularity in Japan. Tagame’s early work was featured primarily in Sabu (a publication founded by the aforementioned Hasegawa), but he would later transition to publishing in his own magazine, G-Men. Today, Tagame is known for both his success as an artist, as well as his significant contributions to art history. Tagame’s archival work and retrospective scholarship on Japanese gay culture from the 19th century to the present form the basis for the modern gay art canon in Japan. Provenance Property of a Private California Collection. Condition Nothing adverse to note. For further condition details or additional images, please contact info@vallots.com